The invention relates in general to systems for providing automatic tracking of vehicles during delivery operations. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing automatic status information of a delivery operation, wherein the automatic status information includes both location information and delivery state information.
Delivery of material or goods typically involves a delivery cycle that includes a number of specific delivery states including: loading a vehicle at a terminal; driving the vehicle to a specific delivery location; unloading the vehicle; and driving the vehicle to another location to begin another delivery cycle. The expense of the delivery cycle is directly related to a dispatching operation used to direct the delivery vehicles between the various states of the delivery cycle. An efficient dispatching operation maximizes the utilization of the available vehicles within a delivery fleet to delivery the most material within a given period of time, by taking into account the delivery state of each of the vehicles in the delivery fleet with respect to the location of various loading terminals and outstanding delivery locations. Accordingly, it is recognized that efficiency in the delivery cycle is facilitated by a dispatcher having accurate knowledge of the state of the delivery process for each vehicle in the delivery fleet during each delivery cycle.
Traditional methods of providing information to dispatchers include relaying data by voice communications between drivers and the dispatchers via radio links or utilizing data entry devices, such as bar code scanners or portable computers, to have drivers enter delivery state information that is transmitted to the dispatcher. The success of such systems, however, depends on the driver manually providing accurate and timely delivery state information to the dispatcher. Drivers may be occupied, however, with various tasks during delivery operations that may interfere with the driver""s ability to provide up-to-date delivery state information to the dispatcher. In the ready-mix concrete industry, for example, the driver is required to perform various tasks at the delivery site including the mixing of the concrete, participating in performing tests on the concrete, discharging the concrete from the vehicle, moving the vehicle to different discharge locations within a job site, and cleaning the vehicle after discharge. Accordingly, the driver be occupied in a manner that prevents timely notification to the dispatcher of the state of the delivery process.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for providing automatic status information of a delivery cycle. Further, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for providing automatic status information of a delivery cycle, wherein the automatic status information includes both location information and delivery state information.
The invention provides a method and apparatus for providing automatic status information of a delivery cycle, wherein the automatic status information includes both location information and delivery state information.
Specifically, a method and apparatus for providing automatic status information pertaining to the location and delivery state of a plurality of delivery vehicles incorporates the use of an intelligent controller onboard the delivery vehicle. The onboard intelligent controller utilizes data received from a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and at least one vehicle condition sensor to generate automatic status information that is transmitted by a wireless communication system to a delivery state database. The delivery state database is accessed by a central dispatch center, and the data records contained therein are utilized to provide visual indicators to a dispatcher regarding the identity, location and delivery state of each vehicle within a fleet of vehicles.
The system employs knowledge of allowable states and state transitions to effect appropriate status reporting. Conceptual segmentation of delivery operations into separable state, and separation of vehicle status into allowable states, having allowable transitions between states, can be used for error detection and correction of automatically determined status. Accordingly, automatic statusing is provided by the fusion of GPS data, data from the vehicle condition sensor and knowledge of the work flow or states of a desired delivery cycle.
In a preferred embodiment, a vehicle monitoring system is provided that monitors the state of a plurality of vehicles. The system includes at least one mobile data unit that generates automatic status information corresponding to a delivery vehicle, wherein the automatic status information includes position information and delivery state information, and a delivery state database that stores the automatic status information generated by the mobile data unit. A dispatch center includes a monitoring device for accessing the automatic status information stored in the delivery state database and displaying the automatic status information to provide a visual indication of the identity of the delivery vehicle, the position of the delivery vehicle and the delivery state of the delivery vehicle.
The monitoring device preferably displays the automatic status information on a display monitor in the form of an icon, wherein a display condition of the icon is varied in accordance with a delivery state defined by the delivery state information. The display condition includes at least one of the shape, color, size, contrast or display status of the icon.
The mobile data unit preferably includes a controller, a GPS receiver coupled to the controller, and at least one vehicle condition sensor coupled to the controller, wherein the controller generates the automatic status information based on signals received from the GPS receiver and the vehicle condition sensor. Specifically, the controller preferably determines the delivery state information based on the signal received from the vehicle condition sensor.
In the case of an illustrated ready-mix concrete application, the vehicle condition sensor generates a mixing barrel status signal indicative of a charge operation condition and a discharge operating condition of a mixing barrel, and wherein the controller determines a Begin Pour delivery state and an End Pour delivery state based on the mixing barrel status signal.
Regardless of the specific application employed, the delivery state information includes a plurality of delivery states that define a delivery cycle, and the controller determines whether a current delivery state is valid based on the delivery cycle. For example, the controller determines whether a current delivery state is valid based on whether a prerequisite deliver state within the delivery cycle has occurred.
The mobile data unit also preferably includes a wireless transmitter/receiver that transmits the automatic status information from the mobile data unit to the delivery state database via a wireless carrier provider coupled to the deliver state database. In addition to the automatic status information, message information can be transmitted via the transmitter/receiver from a central dispatch center to the mobile data unit and from the mobile data unit to the central dispatch center.
In a preferred embodiment, hot zone data corresponding to geographic zone around at least one of a loading terminal and a delivery site is supplied to the mobile data unit, and the controller determines the delivery state information based on the hot zone data. The controller can also alter the hot zone data in response to certain delivery states defined by the delivery state information. For example, the controller alters the hot zone data to expand the geographic zone when the delivery state information is indicative of an At Job delivery state to thereby avoid problems associated with GPS jitter. The controller also alters the hot zone data to relocate the geographic zone when the delivery state information is indicative of a change in location of a delivery site.
Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawings.